1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to teaching methods in general, and, in particular, to a visual method of teaching elementary arithmetic, in which graphical representations of familiar objects, such as animals and plants, are substituted for numbers. The present invention is particularly well suited for children who are visually oriented, and therefore have difficulty with numbers.
2. Description of Related Art
Experienced elementary school teachers know that some children, although bright, have difficulty learning arithmetic. Often, these children are much more visually oriented, and therefore have trouble with numbers, which require abstract thinking. These children have more success with teaching methods that employ pictures, graphics, and other visuals to convey concepts. In order to reach these children, there is a need for a method of teaching arithmetic that conveys mathematical ideas primarily through visual illustrations, rather than Arabic numerals.
Many graphical devices have been employed to teach math, for example, flash cards and posters, but all existing methods of which the inventor is aware are not helpful to visually oriented children because they remain, simply, pictures of numbers. The numbers may be large, may be in color, or may be animated, but they are still numbers, and therefore no more helpful to these children than numbers that are written on paper or on a blackboard.
It would be desirable to introduce visually oriented children to arithmetic first by substituting graphical illustrations of simple arithmetic calculations in place of numbers. It would be desirable for the graphical illustrations to be of familiar objects that the children recognize immediately. As one example, even very young children recognize animals and plants, therefore it would be desirable to use illustrations of animals and plants instead of numbers, although other common objects could be used. To aid the children in associating the illustrations with numbers, it would be desirable for the shapes of the common objects, in this example animals and plants, to resemble the numerals zero through nine. The instant invention is intended to be an introduction to arithmetic, therefore the instant invention is directed to children who have already learned to count.
To maintain flexibility in teaching approach, it would also be desirable for the graphical illustrations of common objects that represent numbers to appear in any medium, including print, video, electronic display media, optical, and any medium used for sculpture.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 70,520, granted Jul. 6, 1926 to Carl J. Wehner, shows an ornamental design for a font of type in which the letters of the English alphabet and the numerals 0 through 9 are represented by various animals configured in the shapes of the letters and numerals. U.S. Design Pat. No. 96,323, issued Jul. 23, 1935 to Lister, et al., shows an ornamental design for a font of type in which the letters of the English alphabet and the numerals 0 through 9 are represented by fish configured in the shapes of the letters and numerals. U.S. Design Patent No. 252,211, issued Jun. 26, 1979 to Khagak K. Garabed, shows an ornamental design for a calligraphic font in which the letters of the English alphabet and the numerals 0 through 9 are represented by birds configured in the shapes of the letters and numerals.
U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 292,103, issued Sep. 29, 1987 to L. E. Bolick, and 394,278, issued May 12, 1998 to S. A. Nowicki, show an ornamental design for a font of type using animals in the shape of alphabetic, characters, but no numerals are shown. U.S. Design Pat. No. 344,543, issued Feb. 22, 1994 to S. G. Lemon, shows an ornamental design for a set of numeral figures. None of the foregoing Design Patents describes a method of teaching arithmetic, nor do any of these patents teach the association of particular colors with particular numerals.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,230,263, issued Jun. 19, 1917 to W. H. S. Alexander, teaches cut-but alphabet toys for teaching the alphabet, including some toys having representations of animals thereon, but no numerals or method for teaching arithmetic is shown. U.S. Pat. No. 1,864,703, issued Jun. 28, 1932 to R. West, discloses educational blocks in the shape of letters having a subject, usually an animal, thereon for teaching the alphabet. U.S. Pat. No. 2,265,699 issued Dec. 9, 1941 to J. W. Osborne, discloses a means for teaching arithmetic using verses where numbers are to be inserted, and providing toys having a body in the shape of an Arabic numeral, with detachable head and garment bearing portions for attachment above and below the numerals, respectively. The child is expected to place the appropriate toy number in the proper space in the verse.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,286,368, issued Jun. 16, 1942 to C. W. May, describes a game of jacks having jackstones in the shape of letters and numbers in which the letter or number is displayed and supported at an angle on the surface on which the jackstone is thrown. U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,198, issued Jan. 23, 1968 to E. A. Hay, teaches alphabetical puzzle games having elements shaped like letters to which attachments may be added to complete the body shape of an animated or inanimate object, such as an animal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,357, issued Jan. 27, 1976 to C. C. Couvillion, discloses a teaching method and apparatus which uses representations of Arabic numerals from one to nine of progressively increasing size, in which two digits laid end-to-end have a total length corresponding to the length of the digit representing their sum.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.